Raising children can be very difficult, even if many say it is the most rewarding experience of their life. Trying to cultivate healthy living habits early on is one of the best things you can do as a parent in order to set your children up for success later in life. Promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle is incredibly important when your children are young – keeping healthy will come more easily to them when they are adults. However, it is often difficult to know how to teach this to our children and how to get them to pay attention and listen. As long as you follow these tips and steps, you will be able to help your children lead a healthy lifestyle.
Make Food Fun
One of the best ways to ensure your child likes fruits and vegetables is to make food look appealing and fun. Cutting fruits and vegetables into fun shapes and making them look aesthetically pleasing is proven to make a child more likely to try them. Furthermore, if you model good behaviour by eating the food yourself, this is also psychologically proven to make a child more likely to eat them. Make sure that you always have healthy snacks ready in the house so that they can always have something healthy and nutritious to eat instead of harmful fast foods. This way, you will cultivate a natural desire to eat healthy food, so they will reach for fruits and vegetables in the future instead of sugary carbohydrates.
Involve Them In The Cooking Process
Showing your child the processes that go into cooking will help them to take a natural interest in cooking and be better prepared to learn how to cook as they grow older. One of the many reasons why people lead unhealthy eating habits is because they can’t cook, so they always have ready made meals or order out. However, by safely showing your child what goes into cooking and following recipes, they will be more receptive to cooking in the future. This is one of the best ways to ensure your child is well prepared for adult life.
Give Them Plenty Of Water
Many children grow up drinking endless juice and sodas, and this can make them have problems with their organs, teeth and energy. However, if you give your children water most of the time and leave the soda and juice as a special treat, you may be able to influence your child to naturally drink water. Children who grow up drinking only water and milk tend to carry this trend into adulthood, viewing fizzy drinks as a treat rather than an everyday thing. By making sure your child is mainly drinking water, you can make sure that they’re more likely to get their 2 litres a day in adulthood!
Make Exercise A Fun Game
Some children find exercises such as jogging or running tedious and boring. However, if you make exercise a fun game or activity, your child will be more likely to look forward to getting active. For example, you could enrol them in a dance class or a sports team – this way they will be able to practise social skills and make friends while also being active. You could also invent running or jogging outdoor games for them to do in your back garden – this way, they won’t find it tedious or boring. You will be able to promote the importance of daily exercise through play.
Get Active As A Family
Your children are learning from you – you are their role model. For example, you practise reading with your child in order to teach them to read. Exercise and getting active should be exactly the same. By getting active as a family, you will be able to demonstrate how important exercise is, and also promote spending time as a family. Take your children on long nature walks or take them to go swimming. This way, they will come to enjoy family exercise time, and learn the importance of staying active.
Limit Their Screen Time
The world has changed so much over the years – children are growing up with more technology than ever before. However, while technology can be a good thing, it can also have consequences when you let your children have too much screen time. If your child has too much screen time, this could affect their eyes and the blue light could also interrupt their sleep schedule. This can make them cranky and tired and make them not want to learn at school, and can interfere with their development. Try to make sure they have no more than 2 hours of screen time per day – they will be more likely to take breaks from the screen when they are adults.
Monitor Their Sleep
Promoting a good sleep schedule when your children are young could mean that they have a better chance of having healthy sleep hygiene when they’re older. There are many reasons why children can have an interrupted sleep schedule – too much screen time, too much sugar, not following a set bedtime schedule. However, if you monitor your child’s sleep, you can make sure to correct any sleep issues early on. Paying close attention to their diet and screen time can help them sleep better, and taking care to follow a bedtime routine can help them get better sleep. If your child is having trouble sleeping, you can always try kid’s weighted blankets and blackout curtains in order to improve good sleep conditions. However, if your child is having trouble with insomnia, make sure that they see a doctor so they can be helped with this as soon as possible.
Show Them How To Take Care Of Their Teeth
Good oral hygiene is one of the most important healthy habits you should teach your child. Cultivating a teeth brushing routine early on in your child’s life can make them be more independent and teach them the importance of looking after their teeth. Expert dentists who specialise in dental implants Cheltenham based have given advice on how to make your children be more aware of their dental hygiene.
Make sure to:
-Explain how cavities are formed, and how to prevent them
-Ensure they brush their teeth for 2 minutes each time
-Monitor their brushing to make sure that they are brushing everywhere
-With the dentist’s permission, start showing them how to floss
-Explain how sugary foods can cause cavities
-Showing them how you brush your teeth.
This way, you will be able to demonstrate good oral hygiene habits and promote the importance of taking care of your teeth/
By following all of these steps, you will be able to promote a better and healthier lifestyle for your children, so they will keep healthy habits as they get into adulthood.